Final Terra-Feuille Character Designs

Gaia-Terrian

Angelo-Terrian

Final Acconagros Character Designs

Gaia-Acconian

Angelo-Acconian

Final Marisea Character Designs

Gaia-Mermarian

Angelo-Mermarian

Personal Development - Final Reflection (Part 1)

At the start of this year in Semester 1, I set myself a checklist to pursue so I can chart my personal development and skills. I feel like I've pushed myself a lot this year, to learn new techniques and skills and to think in a new way. I have finally been confident enough to post my work as Works In Progress online and to accept and act on feedback/critique from friends and strangers. It's been a great year.

But I must also see how I've done in compassion to my list. Here is a link to my first ever list/PDP post: http://deercreations.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/personal-improvement-list.html


Software: Photoshop - In the end, Photoshop really was my primary use of software. I pushed myself to try new tools, go on menus I hadn't been before. Examples of tools I've used this year which I hadn't before is liquidify, warp, quick masking layers, pattern stamp. Effects on layers, creating my own texture brushes and X was great fun and interesting to dab around with. My only regret was to not create more brushes, or use pre-made ones. I am too comfortable with the round edge brush. I hope I can use brushes in the future that enhance skin pores, wrinkles, and moisture.

Life drawing - I attended afew life drawing classes at the end of semester 1/start of semester 2. All of my classes progresses are up as blog posts. I am sad I could not continue to go to more in semester 2, but life or work was interfering until I could no longer go whatsoever. I have however practiced drawing from photos and posemaniacs.com.

Individual anatomy/weak points - As stated above, I've drawn from many many photos this year digitally, to get used to drawing digitally, and to better understand muscles. I feel much more confident painting lips too, and the male form (muscular). I also feel like I've improved on faces, and while I could use more practise on leg muscles, better understand how they work too. I wish I had taken extra time to improve my understanding of hands and feet bones and muscle definitions.

Perspective - I had said my drawings were too flat. I attempted to paint one illustration with an interesting perspective, and while it was lacking in colour, interest and could have had a better staging presence, it was nice to focus on perspective of the human body from interesting angles. I am keen on painting more interesting angles of illustration over the Summer, as I personally think the paintings that obscure the human physic into something unusual are the most interesting pictures.

Poses - The item I've worked most on improving and personally see an improvement. Using posemaniacs and many many dedicated Stock photo artists who specialize in taking varied poses for artists to draw from, I've tried my best to move away from static boring idle stances, and to look at ways of showing subtle emotion, see how muscles work and bend properly, and where a persons power/center of balance could be in a pose. I also did many silhouette works to determine if the pose would work. I now can't imagine creating a character without that step.

Character Concept Design - This one I'm very excited for. Tutorials online showing step-by-steps to create a character the "right way" e.g silhouetting, research, development, story, personality, etc.

Staging - I feel like I have not hit my personal quota with staging. I've painted afew illustrative pieces where I paid great attention to staging, but I don't think this is enough. It also does not help that I am not doing any environment concept/paintings, which is why I initially put staging as a goal.

Colour & Light - I think my skills improving in textures, photoshop abilities, and layer effects have benifited me greatly in this area. I was careful with colour schemes and contrast/harmonization for all my characters, and have used some tricks for blending colours or making them bold and defined, but I could have improved more on my use of a light source. Another area where I feel I could improve on is colouring and texturing different skin colours.

Style - I'm proud enough to say I love to draw anime style, and many things can be learnt from it, but it is not an art style that can evolve. It is stifling if it does not evolve. I tried really hard to incorporate everything I've learnt about the human form and posing into my style, to blend a style that is not photo-realistic but not too cartoony or generic either. There is never a point where an artist should be 100% satisfied, and like that I strive to learn new techniques and naturally evolve the way I produce art and the style that defines me.

Personal Development: Anaylsing the concept designs

They are in order that they were drawn from Marisea culture, to the final Terra-Feuille culture. It's interesting to note you can see my style change and get better. My anatomy, colouring, thinking process for creating, and posing feels like it's improved with every culture.

From here on, I'm painting the final 6 pieces.

Personal Development: Business Cards

Something I worked on last week, the cards came today. Here is my progress and final card! Happy with the way they turned out, I plan to be using this design for many years to come :) I ordered off of moo.com

 

Gaian and Angelain Faiths and Culture comparision

As mentioned before, this will be a visual comparison between all the cultures (as apposed to the usual faiths within the cultures). Now an analysis of my final designs, in accordance to my final critical framework (Good and evil, in-game faiths, existing faiths, symbols, cliche, culture and fashion):

Just from looking, I realize throughout my development, my characters became more elaborate and interesting, and the Marisea, being the first culture I focused on, suffered because of this. Greater attention will be given to them when painting their final pieces.

I only added textures to the Acconians. I quite like this effect, and will spread it to the other two as well.

The fictional faith of Angelolgy was inspired by the Angels of Christianity. The faith focuses on detachment from the Earth and to try appease and become slaves of angels which live in the skies. The rules were inspired by several different existing faiths. All the Angelian's designs follow the rules of their faith while fitting in with their culture, many of which are symbols worn on them.

Cliches are visible but necessity. Of course a forest person will cover with foliage  but the way it is presented is hoped to evoke high fashion sense. Stereotype was closely monitored in designing the Acconians; There are many desert-type people portrayed in video games. In the end, it was real life inspiration from Westernized and rich Middle-Eastern countries that use clothes practically that inspired the finished concept.


Finally, good and evil. These characters were designed as not to evoke a dislike or scared emotion but to encourage curiosity and interest for them. I believe this has mostly been a success from personal iteration and improvement on design, and feedback on visuals.

Angelo-Terrian Sketches

Next post will have the final male and female designs.

Angelo-Terrian Research

Amongst tribe research, I noted that the x tribe of males weave intricate headgear (into their hair) for different occasions  and long beautiful feathers from birds of paradise are one of the materials used. As sticking with inspiration, and in compilation with my Angelolian faith, feathers in the hair will be featured. The Angelo-Terrian's feathers will be much more beautiful in comparison to the Angelo-Mermerian (who are constricted to pastel dyed white feathers of their local birds), and the Angelo-Acconian (who are also limited to the white/grey/black spotted feathers of their local birds). Feathers will make up the majority of the characters charisma.

Birds of Paradise feathers. Mind; I will probably add fantastical feathers into my designs.

The other most notable difference will be the exclusion of the 'soul flower'. The Angelo-Terrians will have ripped this out of them believing it will further them from the earth and closer to the sky with angels. It will be interesting to look at how to incorporate this feature into my designs. So at first, I was looking at scars and blue dead veins, but I started to find these amazing photos of scars caused by being struck by lightning. Due to looking like roots, this is probably what I'll use in designing the chests of the Angelo-Terrians:

For the Muska in Terra-Feuille, it'll be organically made of interwined leaves and vines, so very similar to this exising model!:

Lastly the actual clothes design. I need to remember their backs must be covered but flesh showing Angel scripts is considered holy. Moodboard includes a mix of leaf/feathers (similar shapes), bark in dresses, and fairies that fit the theme:

Next post should be a few sketches :)

Gaia-Terrian Final Design

Really happy with this direction, will get initial feedback from group meeting this Friday from mentor and friends. Made the crucial swap from vines to roots for the 'soul vine' (which will now be named a 'soul flower') and to make the flower itself blue so it stands out from the green and warm pink/reds/purples.

Tomorrows plan will be to begin incorporating the Angelolgy rules to create the Angelo-Terrians!

Clearer direction for Gaia-Terrians

I've started to get a clearer idea of where I want to go with my Gaia-Terrians, so I'm going to switch to digital now and begin to paint up the final male and female designs :)

Rainforest Tribes?

My research into this hasn't been as fruitful as I hoped, and I can see me going down a road of fantasy stereotypes that already exists. Therefore, as well as the bits and bobs I've found useful from tribes, I believe it's the high fashion element that will aid me the most in creating attractive forest characters (with the practicality of tribes lifestyle and culture)

I have to remember that the final design must be a good marriage between practicality, faith in the earth, and fashion/attractive design. That is how I've broken down this research:

Practicality/Tribes

As mentioned, I looked at a few existing tribes that rely on the rainforests. I found that most of them are too naked...Luckily, I picked up many practical tips to help me along!

- Ankles covered in bracelets, to avoid poisonous bites
- Often topless for both male and female, but the bottom half is covered by plants, or animal hide
- In the Huli tribe, men allow their hair to grow as to be able to weave feathers, flora and other objects into their hair and ceremonial head dresses.
- In the Himba tribe, girls cover their hair in otjize, a mixture of butter fat and ochre. This is to protect their scalps, for beauty (they often get fake plastic hair and add this to their hair styles) and the reddish-brown colour links them to the earth, blood, and the Himba ideal of beauty.
- Face painting in tribes is for several different reasons; Hunting, religion, military, sun screen or scaring enemies.  Different colours also symbolize different things from the west (yellow = death, black = life) but it varies from tribe to tribe. They are made with natural substances, and it is an art, and techniques exist for it (e.g. using a soft feather to make patterns, etc)

Himba tribe women hair

Faith in the Earth

So I'm tackling my Gaian faith first as always. I want my forest people to be beautiful, ethereal and naturally covered in plants, but to further show how dedicated they are to the earth, I'm going to introduce a few fantasy plants. The first being a 'soul vine'. In my sketches last post, I included a flower and roots on everyones chests. A seed planted from childhood into the chest near our hearts, and the seed grows and blossoms from the person as they grow. In many ways, its a parasite, but to them it's becoming one with plants. To check if plants could be sustained by humans, I found online two cases of plants growing in lungs! Mine however will be the surface of the skin. The vines will wrap around the person, and will point up towards the sun. The design ties in with the ethereal and fantasy style and reminisces of art nouveau.

The Season: Summer by Alphonse Mucha

Fashion Designs

Referring to the fantasy designs I've looked at. These are existing but also inspiring. I mostly adore how the Slyvari represent nature, but they ARE NOT human, unlike my characters:

But they still show how creatively flora can be worn to cover and look beautiful. Simarly, this is how fashion tackles wearing flora; to be covering and beautiful. So I already listed some in my previous post in a moodboard, but here is one I couldn't fit...:

It's just come to my attention that I've researched alot of females, feminine clothes and flowers can be seen as 'girly'. But as I've tried with the other cultures I've created, there is no bias between females and males, so the boys will also wear flowers. :)

Taking every element from here, I'm going to create afew more concept sketches in sketchbook then jump over to digitially painting the final-ish concept designs! :)

Terra-Feuille first concept sketches

Some sketches from the moodboard references. I find directions of muscles are fantastic to follow for vines, leaves, bark, etc. :

Tomorrows step will be to look at existing human tribes in different types of forestry, and to look at existing plants that I can play around with (I'd like to flesh out my "soul vines" and "poison lily" petal)

Moving on to my forest & exploring the Terrains

Time to bash on with my final environment; Terra-Feuille the forest area. I want this tribe to be the most natural and indigenous of the three I've created, so many of their attire will be made up of plants and things from the environment. The Angelo-Terrians might look much different than the Gaia-Terrians, but will tackle them one at a time! As always, because I'm not focusing on painting environment I've created a moodboard:

A moodboard of things inspire me, especially the Sylvari and the digimon Lillymon (soft spot from childhood!), as well as some fashion centered around flowers/leaves:

And this additional shoe which I couldn't fit in. I found it while researching feet wear for my desert people... :)

Next post will be sketching progress, and looking at existing tribes that live in different types of forestry.

Acconian's final design

Angelo-Acconians! I'm done with my desert people for now, and will probaby carry on the Gaia-Acconian man and Angelo-Acconian female to work on top of for my final artifacts.

Below is a comparision with the two faiths, and their silhouettes. Very happy with the feathers in sihouette to distinguish them:

Onwards to the forest of Terra-Feuille!

Final Design for Gaia-Acconian (2nd Iteration)

Many changes from the original posted last week, with my progress and reasons for this direction noted in the post before this one. Going to start tackling my forest people (Terra-Feuille) tomorrow.

Research and Iteration for Acconians

After today's meeting with Robin and team, it was affirmed I was falling into the 'stereotypes' pit. I'm struggling with this environment, simply cause there's already so many interpretations for desert/middle eastern designs, I need to portray; "practicality" "faith" "fashion" "environment" as well as all the critera set by the critical framework into the design.

So going back to research, this time focusing on how I can take something existing in the Middle East in a hot environment (specifically, Dubai (their fashion, their Islamic faith, their practicality and UAE rules are all very interesting and relevant)), sophistication incorporated into that design (suit/tie/formal wear, cleanliness, trim, etc),  to incorporate the Gaian faith into this, and above all to create a good character design.

Research:

Incorporating these new findings into designs:

Moving away from the indigo coloured clothes, to tie in the environment, I've decided the motif and colours of a fantasy desert flower, based off of a real one:

My interpretation:

The Gaia-Acconians will wear the flower like a symbol/sigil proudly, the colours too.

This experience is as expected an iterative process, and I hope to learn from my mistakes, document my progress and analysis the new design carefully so it meets the criteria posted above...This will all be documented in my Personal Project and Discussion chapters in my Dissertation.

Next post should show the new final Gaia-Acconian designs.